The two girls left.
Xiao Mei pulled back the foot she had just been about to step forward with.
She stood still, her face troubled.
Should she go find her brother now and give him the Big Bear Doll, or wait until they got home and surprise him?
Which would be better?
If she didn't give it to him now, she'd have to hide the Big Bear Doll first...
A melodious bell rang across the campus.
Xiao Mei jumped.
Oh no, it was time to line up.
She ran off in a hurry.
"Ouch!"
Xiao Mei fell heavily backward onto the ground.
A searing pain shot through her palm where she'd instinctively braced herself.
"Hiss..."
Xiao Mei sucked in a sharp breath.
Tears instantly welled up in her eyes.
It hurt so much.
Ah, the Big Bear Doll!
Xiao Mei suddenly realized that when she'd fallen, the Big Bear Doll had flown out of her hands.
She hurriedly looked around.
Then her eyes lit up.
There it was.
The boy she'd bumped into was holding the Big Bear Doll by its paw, examining it with an expression that seemed somewhat disgusted.
"That's mine."
Xiao Mei hurriedly spoke up.
She staggered to her feet.
She'd fallen pretty hard just now, and her tailbone hurt a lot.
"I'm sorry. I wasn't paying attention just now."
As she apologized, Xiao Mei reached out to take back the Big Bear Doll. "Thank you for picking it up for me."
But...
Her hand closed on empty air.
She looked at the boy in confusion.
"It's ugly."
The boy lifted the bear high in the air. His blunt remark made Xiao Mei press her lips together in displeasure.
The Big Bear Doll wasn't ugly at all.
"Give it back."
Xiao Mei reached